Connector for batteries.



W. S. PERRY.

CONNECTOR FOR BATTERIES.

APPLICATIQN FILED APR.9.1917.

1;29E8J6QD Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

srarrns PAT are.

WARD S. PERRY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO VESTA ACCUMULATORCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO,- ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CONNECTOR FOR BATTERIES.

Application filed April 9. 1917.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVARD S. PERRY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inConnectors for Batteries, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to connectors for batteries and particularly to aform of device suitable for connecting lead wires to a stor age batteryin an electric lighting and starting mechanism for an automobile. Theacid fumes rising from an ordinary lead plate storage battery render itnecessary to give the battery attention from time to time in order toinsure proper working efficiency, and it is quite frequently necessaryto re-. move an old battery and to substitute another in its place.Inasmuch as there is in different automobiles a great variety ofdifferingconditions in the matter of the size and position of the plugsof the lead wires, it is highly important that a service station dealingin batteries ant giving battery service shall either carry acorrespondingly great variety of equipment or shall be in a positionotherwise to meet quickly and easily the varied demands to be made uponthe service. It is the principal object of my invention to provide aform of connector which shall be capable of adjustment to almost anycombination of conditions and which in any combination shall be capableof being readily ap plied without any unnecessary delay Whereby is madeunnecessary for a service Sta tion to carry in stock any great supply ofbatteries in order to render the desired prompt service. It is anotherobjectof my invention to provide a form of connector which shall behighly etlicient and which shall at the same time be capable of beingproduced cheaply and readily. It is still another object of my inventionto improve devices of this type in sundrv' details hereinafter pointedout. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my several objectsare illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are hereinafterspecifically described. That which I believe to be new Specification ofLetters Patent.

to meet still other nary lead Patented Dec. 1?, 1918. Serial No.160.845.

and desire to cover by this application is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a battery equipped with my improvedconnectors and showing in dotted lines changed positions of the leadWires and connectors;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the connectors ininverted position so as changed conditions; view showing one of my Fig.3 is a side upon the binding post connectors in position of a battery;and

Fig. l is a top view of the connector shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings, in which correspondingparts are indicated by the same reference characters,

10 indicates a storage battery of the ordiplate type, comprisingpermanent connectors 11- 12 connecting binding posts of oppositepolarity upon the several cells making up the battery. The binding posts13 and the connectors 1l12 are preferably formed of lead or are at leastlead coated so as to be capable of resisting the fumes from the acidwithin. the battery. The connectors 1l12 are preferably burned orsoldered in position upon the binding posts'13. The terminal bindingposts of the sleeve has a snug tit upon the binding post whether theconnector is in position as is shown in Fig. 2. or is placed in invertedposition as shown in Fig. 1. As is best shown in Fig. i. the split ring18 has its end portions 19-20 turned into parallelism. The heavier endportion or arm 20 is provided with a tapered. socket adapted to furnisha snug fit for a terminal plug 21 which is inserted therein, the plug 21in the construction shown being provided with socket 212 for theconnection of a lead wire thereto. The plug 21 is held in position inits socket in the arm or end portion 20 of the split ring 18 by means ofa screw '23 which passes through a suitable opening in the arm or endportion 19 into engagement with a screw-threaded opening 2t in the endof the plug. As will be readily understood, by tightening up the screw23 the plug 21 is drawn very forcibly into contact with the face of thesocket in the end portion 20, and the arms 1920 are drawn very forciblytoward each other whereby the ring 18 is caused to grip very tightlyupon the binding post 14.

As will be r zadily understood, by loosening the screw 23, the connectorcan be shifted to any desired angular position about the centrallongitudinal line of the binding post l-l so as to be adapted to receivethe lead wires from any direction. The connector as a whole is alsoadapted to be inverted and secured just as strongly upon the bindingpost in such inverted position so as to be capable of meeting eithersuch conditions as are illustrated in Fig. 2 or such conditions as areillustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will be understood that theconnector in either of its inverted positions is equally capable ofangular adjustment about the binding post. I

The sleeve 18 of my improved connector is preferably formed of leadwithout a strengthening core of any other metal, and I have found inpractice that this expedient is highly etiicient. lv'hile the sleeve haslittle if any resilience, it can be bound just as securely in positionby pressure upon the arms or end portions 19-20. \Vhen the sleeve isremoved from the binding post, it can be spread apart readily by reasonoi? the softness of the material withouthaving to rely upon anyresilience of the metal. Also by reason of the readiness with which thesleeve is bent as desired, the sleeve is caused to have a very snug fitupon. the binding post regardless of any irregularities in theconformation of the post.

By the use of my improved connector, I am enabled very quickly andeasily to meet a great variety of conditions without the delay whichresults from the necessity for burning on the connector as has been thegeneral practice heretofore when a battery provided for one set ofconditions has been changed over to meet another set of conditions. Sofar as I am aware, I am the first in the art to provide a constructionin which the screw -whicl1 secures the plug in the socket of theconnector serves also to secure the connector upon the binding post ofthe battery, and my claims are to be construed accordingly.

Moreover, so far as 1 am aware, I am the first in the art to provide aconnector comprising a split ring or sleeve made of lead adapted to besecured upon the binding post of a battery by pressure applied upon theend portions of the split sleeve, through the medium of the terminalplug, being able thus to dispense with the use of a strengthening coreof other metal, and I therefore wish to claim this feature broadly.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A connector comprising a split ring having substantially parallel endmembers, one of said members having a tapered socket, a tapered plugfitted in said socket, and binding means mounted in the other member andoperatively engaging said plug, whereby said binding means operates todraw said plug into said socket and also contracts said split ring.

:2. A connector comprising a split ring having substantially parallelend members, one of said members having a tapered socket, a tapered plugfitted in said socket, and a screw carried by the other member andfitting in a threaded socket in said plug, where by saio screw operatesto draw said plug into said tapered socket and also contracts said splitring.

3. A connector comprising a split ring having a conical inner surfaceand substantially parallel end members, one of said members having atapered socket, a tapered plug fitted in said socket, and binding meansmounted in the other member and operatively engaging said plug, wherebysaid binding means operates-to draw said plug into said socket and alsocontracts said split rin 4. A connector comprising a split ring 4 havinga conical inner surface and substantially parallel end members, one ofsaid members having a tapered socket, a tapered plug fitted in saidsocket, and a screw carried by the other member and fitting in athreaded socket in said plug, whereby said screw operates to draw saidplug into said tapered socket and also contracts said split ring.

5. A connector comprising a split ring having a tapered inner surfaceand having substantially parallel end members, and means cooperatingwith said members for varying thediameter of said split ring.

6. The combination of a tapered plug of a reversible connectorcomprising a split ring adapted to fit upon said plug, said ring havingits inner surface tapered. oppositely toward its margins and havingsubstantially parallel end members, and means coopcrat-- ing With saidend members for varying the diameter of said split ring.

7. A connector comprising a split ring having a conical inner surfaceand substantially parallel end members, one of said toward its marginsand having substantially 10 members having a tapered socket, a taperedparallel end members, one of said members plug fitted in said socket,and binding means having a tapered socket, a tapered plug fitted carriedby the other member and operatively in said socket, and binding meanscarried by engaging said plug, whereby said binding the other member andoperatively engaging means operates to draw said plug into said saidplug, whereby said binding means oper- 15 socket and also contracts saidsplit ring. ates to draw said plug into said socket and 8. A connectorcomprising a split ring also contracts said split ring.

having its inner surface oppositely tapered WARD S, PERRY.

